About | Kaupapa

With the guidance of Te Roroa Development Group Trust and support from Healthy Families Far North, Toi Tangata humbly invites you in to wānanga with Matua Tohunga Tūmau, Joe Mcleod, at our upcoming 3-day Toi Wānanga: Ngā Kai a te Māori, to be hosted in Hokianga/West Coast of Northland (venue tbc)

Joe Mcleod, uri of Ngāi Tūhoe, is a trained chef with 50 years experience who offers a wealth of knowledge of kai Māori. His mahi and research contribute to his personal goal to revive, protect, and promote Māori food culture and return that mātauranga to whānau, hapū and marae.

This three day wānanga is an opportunity for whānau and practitioners to learn from Joe as he guides us through the identification, gathering, safe preparation and cooking of kai Māori - native foods local to Hokianga/West coast of Northland. This will be a very practical 3 day wānanga. Participants will be involved in every stage of preparation and cooking leading to the final day, Te Hākari Whakatāteha. We share in the hua of our mahi, and Joe shares kōrero pertaining to his research as well as his collection of taonga kai Māori.

Attendees will come away with:

An increased ability to identify native kai.
An increased knowledge around safe native kai preparations.
An increased knowledge of tikanga pertaining to the gathering of kai Māori
An increased knowledge of histories (and the enduring conditions) which impact native kai and native ecosystems both locally and throughout Aotearoa.

Throughout this wānanga we hope to expand the knowledge and kindle the curiosity of whānau who are interested in local native kai and broader kai systems.

About the facilitator | Matua Tohunga Tūmau

Joe Mcleod, of Ngāi Tūhoe descent, is an experienced and highly sought after chef with 50 years in the hospitality services industry and a proponent of kai Māori. Having been raised in Matahi, cradled within Te Urewera, with an upbringing steeped in mātauranga Māori, Joe has maintained a strong connection to this cultural knowledge in traditional Māori culinary arts, practices, and pure Māori culinary science research.

His passion and generosity in sharing his skills, experiences and knowledge in all facets of Māori and mainstream contemporary culinary arts is reflected in his vision to revitalise traditional Māori cooking practices for Māori and for the world.

Wānanga schedule:

Day one: Foraging, harvesting, introduction to rongoa, discovering the kai Māori unique to the region, the whakapapa, how they all connect to the kai ready for preparing on day two

Day two: Making the rourou baskets, preparing kai, linking rongoa to the food to be placed in the baskets, how they will be cooked, when they will be cooked and why, the whakapapa, the mauri, the tikanga unique to the region is special

Day three: Cooking of the kai. Te Hākari Whakatāteha. Sharing of kai stories unique to the region, sharing of taonga collection and research.

**We want to ensure money is not a barrier for attending this wānanga, so please reach out and email us at haylee@toitangata.co.nz if you would like to attend but are not able due to cost.

Toi Wānanga: Ngā Kai a te Māori with Joe Mcleod

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